Congress authorized the Maine Centennial half dollar on May 10, 1920, to be sold at the centennial celebration at Portland. They were received too late for this event and were sold by the state treasurer many years. Anthony de Francisci modeled this coin from a design by Harry H. Cochrane. The obverse device is the arms of the state Maine; the latin word DIRIGO means “I Direct”.
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The issuance of a charter to the city of Lynchburg, in 1786, was commemorated in 1936 by a special coinage of half dollars. The models for the coins were prepared by Charles Keck. The obverse bears a portrait of Senator Charter Glass, a native of Lynchburg and former secretary of the Treasury, who objected to the idea of using portrait of living men or coins. Despite his mile protests, his […]
The first souvenir US gold coins were authorized for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition held in St. Louis in 1904. There are two varieties of the gold dollar – one with the head of Thomas Jefferson, who was president when the Louisiana Territory was purchased from France, and the other with President William McKinley, who sanctioned the exposition. The reverse is the same for each variety. The designs were by Charles […]
This souvenirs issue was authorized to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the first white settlement of Long Island, which was made at Jamaica Bay by Dutch colonists. The design was prepared by Howard Kenneth Weinman, son of the sculptor A. A. Weinman, who design the regular Liberty Walking type half dollar. Accolated heads depicting a Dutch settler and an Indian are shown on the obverse, while a Dutch sailing vessel […]
The two famous battle fought in 1775 are commemorated on this coin. A statue of the familiar Minute Man is depicted on the obverse, and the Old Belfry at Lexington is the reverse device. Chester Beach designed the coin. The famous statue by Daniel Chester French located in Concord was used for the design.
The Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition was held in Portland, Oregon in 1905. A souvenir issue of gold dollars was struck to mark the event with the dates 1904 and 1905. The two famous explorers are represented on either side of the coin, which was designed by Charles E. Barber. A bronze memorial of the Indian guide, Sacagawea, who assisted in the famous expedition, was erected in Portland, Oregon and […]
The heads of George Washington and the marquis de Lafayette appear on this issue which was the first commemorative coin of one-dollar denomination and the first authorized United States coin to bear a portrait of a US president. The dies were prepared by Charles E. Barber. The statue on the reverse is similar to the monument of General Lafayette that was erected in Paris as a gift of the American […]
In 1893, the board of Lady managers of the World’s Columbian Exposition petitioned for a souvenir quarter dollar. Authority was granted March 3, 1893 The coin known as the Isabella quarter was designed by Charles E. Barber. These quarters were sold for $1. The observe has the crowned bust of Queen Isabella I of Spain. The kneeling female on the reverse with distaff and spindle is emblematic of women’s industry.
This coin was authorized to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the admission of Illinois into the Union, and was the first souvenir piece for such event. The obverse was designed by George T. Morgan and the reverse by J.R. Sinnock. The obverse shows the head of Lincoln taken from the Statue by Andrew O’Connor in Springfield, Illinois. The reverse is based on the Illinois State Seal.
Settling of the Huguenots and Walloons in the New World was the occasion commemorated by this issue. New Netherland, now New York was founded in 1624 by a group of Dutch colonists. The persons represented on the obverse were not directly concerned with the occasion, however. They are Admiral Coligny and William the Silent. The reverse shows the vessel Niuew Nederland. George T. Morgan prepared the models for this coin.